The Journey of Hope

I trust my knowledge of the plight of street children in Kampala as far as I can throw it.

When I see these children depending on the kind of day I am having, I am either compassionate, angry or down right indifferent.

If you are in a taxi or in a car with someone it’s not uncommon to hear callous comments about how these kids are just on the street to make money. No judgment I have thrown a few around too.

However sometimes when my headsets which I use to block everything in my surroundings have been forgotten, the traffic jam on Jinja road is of epic proportions, my humanity is not clogged by whatever issues I have going on and the person next to me is not trying to make to small talk, I am forced to be aware, and my mind takes a trip to wonderland;

“How is it that they are always asking for ‘ekikumi’, – (100 Uganda Shillings)?

“Who are their parents? Do they even care?”

“How did they end up here?”

“How come they mostly have the same accent?”

There were never answers.

Just the gods of traffic jam shinning on me and sending me on my merry way to life as I know, until recently.

A friend of mine I met on my first koikoiug trip in May 2016, called me out of the blue, asking if I knew someone who would be interested in writing for an event the organization she works with is doing. I was slightly thrown that she didn’t ask me to write, but rather a reference, but she explained that she was being considerate of my academic obligations.(I think she forgot that for me law school is a part time hobby)

Anyway after a few suggestions, I asked if I could do it, and if this was a love story we would stay that the rest is history, however this is a story about hope. So read, on the future is bright.

What do you know about hope?

For Dwelling Places, (read about the work they do to rehabilitate street children here) hope is in a 462km journey to Karamoja Region.

Why Karamoja, you ask?

Remember those answers, I told you about?

Well 90% of these children on Kampala streets, relentlessly asking of your 100 shillings, come from Karamoja.

No they didn’t get on a bus to migrate to the city and make money but rather they have been trafficked, and sold into child labor and everything we should all pray for our kids to be shielded from.

Through an event dubbed journey of hope, dwelling places and its partners will be walking to Karamoja.

I know what you are thinking.

“That is too far? Is it that even possible? Why? 462km really?”

But calm down, this has been done before. In 2015 to be precise and there is proof here that it is possible.

The message is to reverse the story of these street children.

Walk to them instead of them to us and keep them in school not on the streets.

I have never been more honored to write about anything than I am to do this.

Blogging to raise awareness is my minute contribution to this campaign.

And yours is to read, partner with these people in whatever capacity, dare yourself to a journey of not 1000 miles but of hope, make wise suggestions in the comment section, sponsor a walker or just share about this on Facebook or twitter.

All the information you need about the organization and the event is available on their website here.

I want to end with an inspiring quote, but can’t quite figure out which one, so just tap into that humanity of yours and let’s give those kids some hope, shall we?